Commissioners, health professionals and social care professionals will all be interested in the new Long Term Conditions Compendium of Information published by the Department of Health.

This third edition updates the version produced in 2008 and provides the evidence for improving care and outcomes for people with long-term conditions.

70% of the total health and care spend in England is attributed to caring for people with long term conditions, which means that 30% of the population account for 70% of the spend.

A long-term condition is defined as a condition that cannot, at present, be cured but is controlled by medication and/or other treatment/therapies.

Depression is one of the most prevalent long-term conditions alongside hypertension and asthma. The compendium includes a section on mental health, which has information on unexplained somatic complaints and cognitive behavioural therapy.

André started the Mental Elf website in May 2011.
He has worked as an Information Scientist in Mental Health since the late nineties; initially at Oxford University's Centre for Evidence-Based Mental Health and since 2002 as the Managing Director of Minervation Ltd.
He loves blogging, social media and elves! He also has established interests in evidence-based healthcare, usability testing and web design.